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About Our Association

Get To Know Us

The American Chuck Wagon Association started out as a small group of Old West enthusiasts and has expanded to world wide association preserving the American past through competitions, demonstrations, charity and school events and other venues.

Our work is funded by sponsorships (see the power point presentation shown below-right); donations, honorariums and memorials; cookbook, note card & cap sales in our General Store (go shopping), as well as membership dues.

Youth & the ACWA

Our youth are our future and the ACWA supports activities directly involving them. We encourage producers to offer youth competition at their cook offs whenever possible. Many of our cooking crews include young people at the cook offs. The Association also periodically honors an outstanding young cook with the Rookie of the Year award. In 2012 that award went to Drake Tolbert.
In addition, the ACWA offers a scholarship (read more) to selected individuals each year. If interested, download an application here. For the 2012-2013 school year, ACWA was proud to award two scholarships. 2012-13 Scholarship Winners chosen We were able to do this thanks to a very successful first scholarship benefit auction in the fall of 2012. A second scholarship benefit auction was held in 2013 and plans are to continue this as an annual event. All proceeds go directly to the scholarship fund. A huge THANKYOU to the host cook offs, those who donated items, the buyers and the auction crews who made this possible.
Another way to involve and educate our youth is with demonstrations. At one cook off, invitations were given to area schools to come on Friday. There were busloads coming and going a good portion of the day. The students were wonderful and the three host wagons enjoyed sharing their camps and telling a little about the history of the chuck wagon and the trail drives.

General Store

Want to take home some of that authentic, Old West taste and style? Now you can with ACWA Cookbooks, beautiful note cards and caps!

Chuck Wagon Catering

Many of our members offer catering services. Contact one of them to bring some of the finest chuck wagon cooking to your next event.

ACWA News & Events

• President's Message

  How many of you used to play like you were cowboys and Indians when you were young, or at least pretend to be one of the heroes in the classic westerns of yesteryear? There was, and still is, a mystique about that era that we held very dear to our hearts. We still, today, hold that spirit of the western heritage in high esteem and want others to experience that same feeling.
  We have banded together with a common goal to preserve and share with others the western heritage that the pioneers of the day helped to create. The chuck wagon is the central element used by the chuck wagon cook to focus on the spirit of the Old West and as each day that goes by the vehicles grow older and closer to extinction. We have chosen to preserve them and the way of life that surrounds this noble vehicle.
  The chuck wagon cook-offs are by no means the only way we try to portray that cowboy spirit. We have many members who gather together at locations around the country and cooking the old chuck wagon way for our service men and women and their families. There are also ACWA individuals who provide wagons and cook for the Wounded Warriors Program for our Armed Forces Service men and women who have been wounded. There are others who take their wagons, and sometimes just their Dutch ovens, to schools and provide school children with a living history demonstration. Many members get involved by participating in various museum functions, parades and cowboy days. Any way you choose to enhance the Spirit of the West will greatly improve the chances that the Western Heritage will live for many generations to come.
  If any of this strikes your fancy then look further into our American Chuck Wagon Association website and find information about our association, guidelines for conducting a cook off, helpful tips for competing, and resources for constructing and preserving a chuck wagon, restoring a vehicle, or enjoying our history.
  We are also proud of our efforts to promote youth cooking competitions and provide scholarships to help our youth in pursuit of higher education.
  Contact the ACWA and allow us to assist you in preserving the heritage of this uniquely American vehicle. Again, thank you for visiting the American Chuck Wagon Association website.
  Wayne Calk
  President
  American Chuck Wagon Association
  
  March 18, 2013

• The next annual meeting will be held in Blanco, TX on Nov. 9, 2013 Nick Nickelson will offer a food handlers' class. State historian Bill O'Neal will make a presentation. There will be a round table discussion on wagon maintenance and upkeep chaired by Glenn Moreland and Kathy Christensen.
  There are 4 restaurants on the square, 2 mexican restaurants, a Sonic and a Dairy Queen and several convenience stores.
  Hotels are: Best Western at 830-833-5697
  Blanco County Inn at 830-833-4502
  Swiss Lodge at 830-833-5528
  RV hookuips at Blanco State Park - call TPWD at 512-389-8900